Epileptiform activity induces formation of long-lifetime, filopodia-like structures ("lazypodia") in hippocampal pyramidal neuron dendrites.
Shown is a single dendritic segment from a hippocampal pyramidal neuron in slice culture imaged over a 6-hr period (image sequence is from left to right, top to bottom). The neuron was co-expressing DsRed2 (red) and PSD95-GFP (green) to mark dendritic structure and synapses, respectively. Epileptiform patterns of neural activity, represented by blue traces, were induced in slice cultures by GABA-A receptor blockade (gabazine). Note the slow extension and retraction of "lazypodia."
See: Zha et al., 2005. "Regulation of hippocampal synapse remodeling by epileptiform activity." Molecular & Cellular Neuroscience. 29:494-506.